To The Golf Courses of Yesteryear

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Bowdon Golf Club, Dunham Massey, Altrincham.

The club was Founded in 1890.

The course was situated on the outskirts of Dunham Park with a subsoil of sand ensuring good lies on the fairways. It was described as a good and testing nine-hole course with a SSS of 75 (73 in the 1940s). The principal hazards were artificial sand bunkers a pond and various trees. Club membership averaged about 160 throughout. Stations at Bowdon and Altrincham were 2miles away and Dunham Massey 1 mile. It cost 2/- for a cab from any of the stations pre-WW1. Sunday play was not allowed until after WW2.

Bowdon Golf Club had a very unusual motto; “Golf is not agriculture!”

Bowdon Golf Club button showing the club crest and motto.

Result of the October 1890 monthly competition. Mr H Ransome, who came in first with 84 net, was unfortunately disqualified owing to "an error in play" consequently Mr Cyril Ransome secured the win with 88 net, Rev H W Crozier was second.

Result of the monthly medal played on Saturday 5th September 1891; T W Killick, 121-36-85; F Ransome, 97-7-90.

In the monthly medal played on Saturday June 3rd 1893 Mr F C Morgan returned the best gross score ever returned in competition over the Dunham course, result as follows; F C Morgan, 82-2-80; T D Cummins, 88-6-82; F Platt-Diggins, 99-16-83.

Below is the result of a club match played at Cheadle on Saturday 17th June 1893.

Result of the monthly medal held over the lengthened course at Dunham Village for the first time on Saturday 2nd September 1893; S Smelt, 95-10-85; E Withington, 95-7-88; E W Gillett, 94-4-90; T Pym Williamson, 95-5-90; G Worthington, 100-10-90; R D McClaren,104-14-90.

At the Spring Meeting in 1895 the above trophy, presented by H Staffurth, was won by S W Gillett.

Portrait of Samuel W Gillett, secretary of the club in the early 1900s. This picture would have been one of many of the prominent officers and members displayed in the clubhouse. Thanks to J A C W (Tony) Gillett, grandson of Samuel W Gillett, for supplying and allowing us to use the above images.

Below are the results of a match played on Saturday 23rd March 1895 between the Bowdon and Wilmslow Golf Clubs, the first teams playing at Bowdon and the second at Wilmslow.

First team.

Bowdon Golf Club

Wilmslow Golf Club

F C Morgan

0

C S Hoare

3

H Holden

8

A N Cumming

0

S W Gillett

2

W W Barlow

0

C H Occleston

9

Sir F Forbes Adam

0

E Withington

0

J A Tweedale

0

A G Hogg

3

T A Bradley

0

Rev T Pym Williamson

3

R A Bradley

0

T Muirhead

0

H G Langley

1

25

4

Second team.

Wilmslow Golf Club

Bowdon Golf Club

G Bickham

1

C H Wolff

0

R R Schofield

4

Rev Wilson Cowie

0

J H Milne

5

G Shorland Ball

0

J A Hutton

0

F Heywood

7

J K Ford

0

S Smelt

1

P Swanwick

0

C W Dudley

4

F Godlee

0

E C H Wolff

8

J J Brickhill

12

James Boyd

0

22

20

Result of a one-sided club match in favour of Bowdon played at Wilmslow on Saturday 18th May 1895. M Withington had a splendid gross score of 74 (35+39), S W Gillett and E Withington recorded scores of 80 and W G Clegg 81.Mr Gillett went out in 36 but came back in 44.

Wilmslow Golf Club

Bowdon Golf Club

C S Hoare

0

W Holden

3

A N Cumming

0

M Withington

5

J A Tweedale

0

W G Clegg

4

G Bickham

0

S W Gillett

7

H G Langley

0

E Withington

4

R R Schofield

0

C H Occleston

10

J Kent Ford

3

G S Hall

0

P Swanwick

0

T P Williamson jnr

6

3

39

In April 1896 in the final of the Lindsell Worthington Challenge Cup T W Cummins beat H Holden 5 and 3.

Below is the result of the monthly medal played on Saturday 3rd November 1900.

Dr Cooper

93

14

79

W Cowie

99

12

87

S Bridgford

87

6

81

C Scheu

109

22

87

J Brooke

99

18

81

J Boyd

109

22

87

W G Clegg

84

scr

84

E Withington

95

6

89

W Ryecroft

96

12

84

S Smelt

99

10

89

J B Duncan

100

15

85

C Atkinson

105

16

89

C Hopkinson

100

15

85

F Roylance

103

13

90

W B Edmonson

95

9

86

Below is the result of a ladies’ match played at Bowdon against Worsley on Monday 28th October 1901.

Bowdon

Worsley

Mrs Dallmeyer (Half)

0

Mrs MacLaren (Half)

0

Miss Bradbury

12

Mrs Albresht

0

Mrs Cobbett

1

Mrs Prestwich

0

Mrs Duggan

0

Miss Miniati

8

Mrs Wood

0

Mrs Schack Sommer

7

Mrs Ashe

1

Miss Arrowsmith

0

14

15

In 1902 the secretary was still S W Gillett.

In 1903 the professional was Frank Kerr Weir, Dunham Massey; Secretary John H Brancker, jnr.

The following is from the 1905 Nisbet’s Golf Yearbook; Membership of 160; Hon. Secretary – C F Worrall, Long Croft, Altrincham; Captain – Richard Bock; Entrance Fee £5/5s and Subs £2/2s; Nine-holes; Professional F K Weir; Professional Record – F K Weir, 36; Amateur Record – H Holden, 37; Terms for Visitors – one free day, 2s per day (excluding Saturdays), 5s a week (excluding Saturdays), 5s for Saturdays (if no competition.) “The course is situated on the outskirts of Dunham Park. The subsoil is sand, and the lies are generally very good. There are only nine-holes, but they are a good length, twice round the course being a matter of 6,200 yards. The best holes are the 1st, 6th and the last. The 6th or “nest” hole required a long and accurate drive, which gave players a chance of reaching the green, which lay in a cup and was guarded on the left by a tree. The principal hazards are trees, artificial sand bunkers, a dyke pond and various trees.” – R O J Dallmeyer.

The result below is from the fourth round of the Amateur Championship played at Royal Liverpool in May 1906. It is interesting to note that C H Alison was playing out of Bowdon Golf Club. Is this Hugh Alison the famous golf course architect? This is the only reference found so far of Alison having any attachment to Bowdon Golf Club. If anyone has any further information please let us know via the “Contact Us” facility on the website homepage.

A match play competition for the captain’s prize, presented by Mr W G Clegg, was played on Saturday 19th May 1906. In the semi-finals; A G Hogg beat the Rev R M Gray by 5&4 and J Vincent Bock beat C F Worrall by 4&3. In the final Hogg (scratch) had to give Bock six strokes, a fine contest resulted. Unfortunately the final was played in torrential rain, making play difficult. The match was all square at the tenth, Hogg won the next three holes, but Bock, was playing well and won the following three, squaring the match at the sixteenth, the seventeenth was halved. On the eighteenth Hogg hit a good second shot, giving him a chance of a three. Bock played a poor approach shot but stymied Hogg with his fourth. Hogg played round the stymie and made four, winning the match and the cup.

In January 1913 the silver medal of the L.G.U was won by Miss Needham (19) with an aggregate of 83, the bronze medal won by Miss S Allen.

The bogey competition, played in March 1913, for the lady captain’s (Mrs Percy Cooper) prize was won by Miss Edith Needham with a score of 2up.

The match play prize presented by the captain, Mr T Coventry, was played during the week ending Saturday 31st May 1913. In a keenly fought final Bertram Thomas defeated Claude Paterson at the 19th hole. Prizes were presented to the winner, runner-up and the losing semi-finalists, results as follows; Mr Thomas beat Mr Miller, 3&1; Mr Paterson beat Mr Haslam, 5&3.

A mixed foursomes competition was played at Bowdon in October 1921. If anyone has any information regarding the result and the names of the people who took part please email
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In the Ladies Golf Championship at Burnham in May 1923 Mrs Allan Macbeth of Bowdon was beaten in the final by Miss Doris Chambers (Wirral) who won 2up.

The winner of the "Eve" monthly medal in October 1929 was Mrs K Tillie, 91-20-71. The scratch score was 76.

In 1940 visitors’ fees on introduction were 2/6 a day, 3/6 Saturday, 5/- a week, 15/- a month, exclusive of Saturdays.

Result of a ladies’ eclectic competition played in June 1940 for prizes given by Mrs Smalley in aid of the Salford Royal Hospital; Mrs J Barclay, 42-4-38; Mrs Smalley, 41-2¾-38¼; Mrs Wilson, 44-3¼-38¼; Mrs Harrison, 44-3-41; Miss Shipman, 44-2½-41½.

Thanks to Jane Wilson for providing the following information which accompanies the images below. “My father (W G Murray Wilson) was just out of military service. He was in the Royal Engineers during the war and after the war was seconded to the Intelligence Corps of the British Army to do counter sabotage work in Germany. (He was released from service 14 June 1947, but on leave from March to June.) He didn’t mention winning the cup in his memoirs http://www.blurb.ca/b/6070155-sapper-officer . However I remember him talking about winning the cup, he felt specially cheered on by the gallery/audience because he was a returning soldier (26 years old.) I don’t know the exact date he won it in 1947. As you can see his name was not inscribed on the cup. He grew up in Suffolk Road in Altrincham (about a mile as the crow flies) from the Bowdon golf course. In September 1947 he emigrated to Canada.”

The Captain’s Cup won in 1947 by W G Murray Wilson.

From 1947 to closure visitors’ fees had risen to 3/6 a day, Saturdays 7/6 (5/- with member).

Bowdon Golf Club disappeared in the mid 1950s.

Thanks to Margaret Sykes of Gawsworth for her contribution regarding Bowden Golf Club “My husband ( a golfer of course) was a boy early in the war and used to cycle to Bowdon Golf Club, play a few holes when it was quiet, so had some knowledge of its demise. The course was ploughed up for agriculture around 1942. The land was owned by Lord Stamford. It’s also possible that POWs were billeted on the land”